Have you seen your social media feeds over the last few weeks fill up with comments such as “MBA programs are overrated”, “Take the $200K tuition and start a business, you will learn more”, “it’s just a two-year vacation…”?
The recent narrative around MBA degrees has been extremely negative. With MBA applications declining by ~7% in 2019, some call into question the need for MBA degrees and the long-term viability of the degree.
After an early career as a Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces, I moved to the US to get my MBA at Duke University. I spent five years working as an Engagement Manager at Deloitte Consulting within the M&A Strategy Practice and a year ago left to co-found Merri, an early stage startup. My MBA helped me get to where I am today and here is why I think these programs are here to stay.
Rationale: Why get an MBA?
Stopping your life for two years to get an MBA, and potentially moving to a different city, let alone a different country, is not an easy decision. Not even for a 25-year-old millennial. For many millennials career success still means having a $500K/year Corporate America job. Mid-to-top executives who hold those jobs have a few things in common — hold an MBA degree, worked at top tier client service firm which require an MBA (McKinsey, Goldman…
